Lessons from the Ice Queen
by ExiXIII
Summary: Anna Summerfield needed help with her academics, so she turned to Elsa Andersen, the cold and quiet girl at the top of her class. Theirs starts out as a strictly professional relationship between teacher and student, but where will time take them and their escalating partnership? (rewritten version)


Anna kept her eyes glued to her watch.

5:10. Fifteen more minutes before the bell rings and she would finally be free. She put her head on her palm and sighed. The rest of her classmates were still hunched over their papers answering a set of equations written on the white board by their maths instructor. She was one of the first to finish, but she didn't pass her paper yet because of two things: she didn't want everyone to know that she finished ahead of them, and she wasn't entirely sure of her answers.

It was mostly because of the latter.

Instead of rechecking her answers, she just stared at the long columns of numbers, letters, symbols, and figures that made up her trigonometry quiz. Answering the quiz already fried her brain cells. She didn't have enough left to make sure her answers were right.

Five minutes passed. She heard one of her classmates stand from her seat and make her way to the front of the class to turn in her paper. Anna watched the hands of her watch too intently that she didn't bother looking up to see who it was. The classroom door creaked open and shut quietly. Other students followed suit one by one and the classroom gradually emptied out until only Anna and about eleven other students remained.

5:22. Anna got tired of meaninglessly staring at her paper. She had places to be and plans to do. She stood and popped her neck, the strain of hunching over a sheet of paper and her watch for the past hour finally taking effect, and headed to the teacher's desk where the teacher already started checking some of their class' quizzes.

"Oh, Ms. Summerfield," her teacher began without looking up from his work just as Anna put her paper on the neat stack of finished quizzes on the side of the desk, "Can you stay for a while? I need to talk to you about something."

 _Crap. Did I do something?_ Anna flinched. When a teacher says those words in the tone he just used, it usually didn't bode well.

"Yes. O-of course, sir," she stammered.

"Great. It won't take long, I promise."

Anna returned to her seat and stared at her watch again. She sighed as she watched the seconds tick by. Questions and answers ran rampant in her head and her anxiety built every passing second.

 _Is this because of that vandalism issue? Wait, does he even know I was one of them? No, must be that volleyball mishap. How would he even know about that if he's not even into sports? Is it my grades? But I've passed every requirement and-_

The sound of the door shutting gently broke her train of thought and her head snapped up. Only she and her teacher remained in the room, aside from the foreboding silence that lingered in the air between them. Her teacher stopped checking papers and instead looked at her with round, azure eyes, as if waiting for her.

Gingerly, she made her way to the desk in front and the teacher's eyes followed her as she went. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about, Mr. Stone?"

Her teacher's response was surprisingly calm and gentle. It wasn't supposed to be a shock to her as that was how her math teacher - who everyone referred to as 'Pabbie' beyond the walls of the classrooms - usually talked. "It's not as bad as you think it is, Anna." He smiled as he ran a finger through his disheveled head of straw-colored hair. "It's certainly not about that, er… work of art sprayed in the back wall."

 _He knows about that. Oh crap._

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Being young is amazing. Enjoy it while you're not yet an old coot like I am." He gave a small chuckle and Anna became aware of the numerous laugh lines on his face.

Anna shifted nervously. The only possibility left that would actually concern Pabbie was her grades. "Is it my grades, sir?" She asked carefully and Pabbie nodded slowly in reply. "I'm failing?"

"No, not failing. You're doing okay, if I say so myself." Anna heaved a sigh of relief. Why would her teacher want to talk about her grade if she was doing okay? "It's just that your performance has taken a slight dip."

The way he said that already told Anna that it wasn't just a 'slight dip.' Her anxiety came crashing back as images of her quiz results from the last few weeks flashed in her head.

"Normally," Pabbie continued, "I'm not supposed to meddle in my students' academic lives. But since I'm your teacher and - don't tell anyone I said this - you're one of my favorite students, I have an obligation to help you learn. So I ask you, what happened? Your grades for the last term were alright."

"I- the subject just… I can't seem to understand the discussion. It just- just flies over my head."

Pabbie gave her a solemn nod. "Mathematics tends to catch students off their guard. Especially now that we're dealing with more difficult subject matter. Your quiz results took a sudden dip and I was concerned so I asked. Forgive me if I'm being nosy."

"N-not at all, sir."

"Well, it's still midterms. Still a lot of chances left to pull your grade up. Your prelim grade wasn't really that high, so you really need to catch up."

"I'll try harder next time."

"I know you will." Pabbie beamed and left his desk. "You never disappoint." The short and stout senior collected his things and headed for the exit. "Lock up on the way out, okay?" With that, he vanished from sight.

Anna heaved a heavy sigh as she picked her bag up from the floor next to her seat. How was she supposed to catch up when she can't even understand most of what the teacher discussed? Her study tactics didn't even work as well anymore and her focus was in no way any better.

She locked the door on her way out and slung her backpack over one shoulder. The afternoon sun cast a warm, orange glow into the empty and quiet hallways. The tranquil atmosphere of it all combined with the lingering sleepiness from staying up late to cram her notes made Anna drowsy.

I'll take a nap when I get home. She turned for the stairs at the end of the corridor. I'll worry about my grades lat-

She froze in the middle of the hallway. She might as well have slapped her palm against her forehead for not thinking of an idea as brilliant as the one she just came up with: get a tutor.

And she just found the perfect candidate.

A girl stuck to one side of the hallway, hauling a stack of textbooks in her arms as she made her way towards the stairs. Braided platinum-blond hair draped over her shoulder gleamed in the sunlight. She dropped a book and when she turned to pick it up, Anna got a glimpse of icy, blue eyes behind wire frame glasses sitting atop the bridge of her nose.

Anna racked her brains, trying to remember the girl's name: Elsa Andersen. The smartest girl in her class - maybe even the entire level - when it came to any subjects she encountered. Her genius earned her a big reputation in the university.

All that was left was to ask her.

"Elsa!" Anna called and the blond girl stopped in her tracks, not even turning to see who called her name. Anna made her way over to where Elsa stood like a statue, hugging her books like her life depended on it. "Can you help me with something?"

"With what?" Elsa's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly as she answered with a small, flat tone.

"You see, I kind of need someone to help me with math…"

Elsa's eyes definitely narrowed for a split second before finally shaking her head lightly in disapproval. "Sorry," she answered in that same quiet voice, "I can't help you."

"Please?" Anna pleaded. "You're the only person I can ask."

A heavy silence hung between the two as Anna waited for the blond to respond. She felt as if the cold, blue eyes behind the glasses bore into her soul, searching for something to judge her about. A chill ran up Anna's spine. The way Elsa stared at her just seemed creepy somehow.

She didn't even realize that her face showed just how unnerved she was until she noticed her image reflected in the lenses of Elsa's glasses. Finally, the blond responded, her answer a quiet whisper, nigh inaudible. "You didn't even bother to notice me before now, when you actually need something. You're no different from the others."

Anna winced. Elsa was the quietest girl in her class. She can't even remember a time she spoke beyond recitations, and even then, her voice was always quiet. No one really talked to her, and Anna was no exception.

Elsa cleared her throat. "Sorry, I really can't help you. I have errands to run." Elsa answered and turned for the stairs once more without even waiting for Anna to respond. Even though Elsa sounded polite, it also sounded as if she wanted Anna to leave her alone.

"Wait, I'll make it worth your while!" Elsa didn't turn around or even flinch. The redhead just watched the quiet blond ascend the staircase in a quick pace until she vanished from Anna's sight.

Anna prepared to chase Elsa when a voice called her name from behind her. "Anna?" She turned around to find her math teacher's gaze fixed on her. She greeted him with a small smile and a wave of her hand. "I thought you would be out of the gate by now." Pabbie chuckled. "Was that miss Andersen you were with just now?"

Anna fixed her gaze at the staircase. "Yeah. Wait." She turned around, the sudden action taking her teacher aback. "You're the math club adviser, right?" Pabbie nodded. A huge grin spread on Anna's face. "Can you get a word in for me? I'm trying to get Elsa to tutor me."

"I don't think that would work. Elsa isn't exactly the social type. You should know that well since you're complete opposites."

Anna looked crestfallen. Getting a girl as withdrawn as Elsa to become her tutor was impossible - especially since she wasn't close to the blond at all and their first exchange didn't exactly leave Elsa with a good impression of Anna. "Guess not." She answered, lowering her gaze and drawing circles on the floor with the tip of her sneaker.

"Well, I suppose it won't hurt to try." Anna lifted her head at Pabbie's reply. The old man rubbed his chin in thought. "She does need to break out of her shell, and I guess your attitude will do the trick. Alright," Pabbie clapped his hands, "but no guarantees. If it doesn't work out, I'll try finding someone from the team willing to help you out."

A wide grin lit up Anna's face as she bounced in place. "Thank you!" With a smile, Pabbie turned around and walked away.

Anna looked at her watch. 5:43. Time to go home.

* * *

Elsa flipped through the textbook's pages sluggishly.

She studied the concepts and explanations in the science textbook, taking notes of its contents every now and then. She had a quiz scheduled for tomorrow, and even though she already reviewed the night before, a bit of extra preparation never hurt. Neat handwriting filled the pages of her notebook, the notes she took meticulously organized and color-coded.

Leaning back into the chair, she took a deep breath and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and took a look around. Corridors of shelves filled the library, each one carrying an assortment of books from every category of the Dewey Decimal System. The collective aroma of several old books and the peaceful quiet interrupted only by the flipping of pages made up the tranquil atmosphere of the library. It was an ambience she wanted to stay in indefinitely. Her eyes flicked to the clock that hung over the librarian's desk. 6:12. She had to go home before it got too dark.

She gathered her things and slung her bag over her shoulder. The sky outside the window carried a light blue tint with a dash of orange in the horizon. Taking her library card out, she brought the book she was reading and two other books up to the counter. "Ran out of things to read again, Elsa?" The librarian asked. She nodded."You're the library's biggest borrower of books. You just read through books so fast." The librarian's voice carried a hint of amusement.

"I have a lot of free time." Elsa replied in her usual small yet polite voice.

"It's always a good thing to see young people reading. Some of them just don't have the time to even open books anymore." With a smile, she stamped the card and passed the books to the blond girl. "Take care on the way home."

Putting the books and her library card into her bag, she made her way out of the library's glass double doors and stepped into the library building's elevator. One press of a button and the elevator headed to the ground floor. It was lucky that the elevator was empty. She couldn't stand having to stay in small spaces with people. After a while, a bell dinged and the chrome doors slid open and she stepped into the empty lobby.

"Elsa?" A voice called her name. It was Pabbie. She gave a small wave in response. "You were with An- er, Miss Summerfield earlier, right?"

"She asked me to tutor her." Elsa replied.

"Why not give it a try?" He suggested. "It might be beneficial to you too."

"Sorry, sir. I just can't see how it'll be worth my time." Elsa answered flatly. She glanced at her watch - partly to know the time and partly to gesture that she wanted to go home and didn't want to have this conversation. She knew Pabbie will try to get her to tutor the redhead from earlier until she finally folds. "I have to get home." She continued, "It's going to be dark out soon."

Pabbie nodded. "Take care when you go home, Elsa." He waved his hand goodbye and headed for the elevators as Elsa headed out of the library building.

The evening air was chilly, but it didn't bother Elsa. She let her mind wander. Why did her math teacher want her to tutor the redhad? She knew that he knew that she wasn't the type of person to take someone under her wing, much less be social to someone she barely knew. And she knew next to nothing about the redhead.

Shaking her head, she shifted her attention to the other thoughts that swam in her head. She had a quiz the next day and she had a night of studies and reading ahead of her.

* * *

 **A/N: Formerly Nameneloses-Schatten, I'm back in the Elsanna game with reworked versions of my past Elsanna fanfics. Which I intend to finish now since I have more free time and less worries. Oh well. LFTIQ is back and revamped.**

 **3/22: I noticed a few parts that were supposed to be italicized weren't, so now I just corrected them. My bad.**


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